


A Monster in the Dark

by brusselledsprouts



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Self Ship, Work In Progress, but i haven't decided if i should use it or not yet, i have an idea for a scene that would need a mature or explicit rating, self shipping, sorry if i suddenly stop updating this is a normal occurance, uhhhh also
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29921946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brusselledsprouts/pseuds/brusselledsprouts
Summary: Insomnia doesn't always come from trauma, but Canetheus's certainly did. He knew the animatronics moved at night- he wasn't sure how, since he never saw them again after he was six, but he knew. So he tried to sleep during the day, when he was under the safety of the sun. It usually didn't work, but he still tried.He'd been terrified that one of the beloved animal mascots would follow him home one day, put him in one of those suit like someone did to them. But he knew it was irrational. They couldn't leave that place.Until, suddenly, they could.[ Nightmare Bonnie self ship fic ]
Relationships: Cantheus Freeman/Nightmare Bonnie, Original Male Character/Nightmare Bonnie
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

Bonnie was always his favorite.

The big purple bunny just always felt… inviting. Like you could talk to him about everything. And that’s just what Canetheus did.

But something changed on his sixth birthday. He didn’t remember the party itself very well, just that he was insistent on it taking place at his favourite Freddy’s location. He vaguely remembered seeing a teenager with very short blonde hair telling him not to get too close to the stage. Honestly, he mostly remembered the striking grey colour of his eyes.

He also remembered not listening.

Bonnie’s focus wasn’t on him in that moment. No, he was looking at Freddy, playing some pre-recorded conversation between the two. Canetheus was practically on the stage at this point, and that’s when Bonnie’s mouth opened.

At first he thought that it was a performer inside of the purple bunny, when he saw the tuft of matted brown hair inside his mouth. He was disappointed for a second, having always preferred how the animatronics moved without someone inside of them.

And then he saw the red. The hair wasn’t matted because of sweat like he thought originally, it was something else entirely. Was it… blood?

“That’s when the guy with the uh, grey eyes came over and swept me away. I don’t… I don’t remember what he was saying ‘cause I was too focused on the blood, but I remember my mom freaking out. We.. never went back there.”

Canetheus sighed as he leaned back in one of the big leather seats that adorned his therapist’s office, avoiding eye contact with the older person. “Why’d you even wanna hear the story again? I’ve told it like, three times already.”

The person sitting across from him cleared their throat to catch his attention and gaze. “Because, Mr. Freeman, this story changes every time you tell it.” That certainly caught his interest, because he sat up a little straighter in his chair.

“Nothing major ever changes. The teenager you mention always has short hair and grey eyes, and he always pulls you away. You always see hair inside of the animatronic’s mouth and you always notice the blood. Your age stays the same as well, which leads me to accept that this actually happened to you.”

“However, the animatronic changes every time. The first time it was Foxy, the next it was Chica, and this time it was Bonnie. And with the animatronic, the hair changes as well. I believe Foxy’s was orange, and Chica’s was blonde,” they checked their notes to make sure, nodding when they were satisfied with their own remembrance.

They let out a soft sigh as they leaned forward, their forearms now propped up on their knees. “Now, I am not at all surprised by this. You were young when it happened, so of course you would remember it wrong. No child goes through that and remembers it like it happened yesterday. But knowing that the story changes so often is a good starting point toward recovering. Maybe it will even help you realize that what you saw  _ was not real _ .”

There it was. Every session, they tried to tell Cane that what he saw wasn’t real. But he knew it was. He still remembered the colour of the blood, the smell that was coming from the animatronic. So what if he always remembered a different animal or colour of hair? He did enough research to know that five kids went missing in that hell hole long enough ago that it wouldn’t be too farfetched to assume that’s where their bodies ended up.

He didn’t say that though, simply allowing his therapist to assume that he had hallucinated. He knew the truth. And so did his nightmares.

“Well, it looks like we are out of time. I’ll see you in two weeks, Mr. Freeman.” They stood up and he did as well, absentmindedly shaking their hand before booking it out of there. He was still hoping to get a little bit of sleep before the sun went down. He was lucky he was off work today.

Maybe it was a mistake to choose a therapist so close to his house. Sure it was a small town, and he really didn’t have any other choices, but it feels impossible to leave everything there when he was in walking distance of his home. It was just lurking there, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

He was greeted with a loud meow when he pushed open the front door, forcing a tired smile onto his lips. “I know, I know, you’re just so traumatized by me leaving for an hour,” he cooed, leaning down to bring his fluffy hell being into his arms.

The idea of getting a cat was something he would have given a resigned chuckle to merely two years ago, but ever since his therapist suggested it he’d been happier than ever about going through with it. Cheesy Dip was the cat love of his life, and he could no longer imagine life without her.

The fluffy orange cat was a bit of a drama queen, sure, but that kept him on his toes. He never forgot to feed her because she always reminded him, and she didn’t seem to have a problem with screaming when she needed something.

He still couldn’t take proper care of himself- not with how much he hated seeing himself in any sort of reflection- but at least he could keep her happy and healthy.

Eventually, Cheesy was screaming to be let down, so he let her jump out of his arms, watching her scurry off to do her chaotic evil business. She was a very busy kitty, after all.

Once his beloved bastard was out of sight, Canetheus crashed into the couch, catching a glimpse of tired brown eyes and slightly paler than usual skin in the reflection of his living room window. Even his short pink hair looked dull.

He shuddered at the sight, leaning over to yank the curtains closed. None of that.

The TV was turned on almost immediately, to avoid that reflection too. He didn’t even know what was playing, just that it was a good enough distraction. Hearing his own thoughts when he was trying to sleep was just asking for nightmares.

So, with whatever bullshit the TV decided on blaring in the background, Canetheus laid down on his rickety old couch and closed his eyes.

  
Thank god the sunlight made him feel safe, or he would have noticed the bunny standing over him as he fell asleep  _ immediately _ .


	2. Chapter 2

Cheesy Dip was certainly more effective than an alarm clock. 

Canetheus woke with a groan, a little annoyed by the cat pawing at his back (when had he rolled over?) but understanding that it was probably just dinner time.

His beloved asshole jumped off of his back once she was sure he was awake, so he rolled off the couch, crashing onto the floor with a groan. 

It took him a minute, but eventually Canetheus managed to pull himself up onto his feet. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” he muttered at the sound of Cheesy screaming. He stopped in front of her food cabinet to stretch, the motion pulling a satisfied yawn from his lips.

Only to have it replaced with a groan when Cheesy began headbutting him, trying to get him to move faster. He fed her quickly before moving on to feed himself, since he usually associated her feeding times with his own.

It was dark out now, as far he could tell from the little sliver of moonlight breaching his covered up windows. Perfect timing then- this was usually the time that the nightmares started. 

He needed to find a graveyard shift job. The one he was working now was during the day, which made sleep even harder than usual to find. He was lucky if he didn’t accidentally fall asleep at night on days like that.

A slight shudder went down his spine at the thought of his nighttime naps. Without the sunlight to keep him safe, the animatronics he used to love would take on monstrous forms and haunt him in his rare moments of sleep. He tried to talk to people about it, but they always brushed him off. Eventually he stopped trying.

He really should stop thinking about them. That was practically asking for the bastards to show up. But sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder… maybe they _weren’t_ attacking him. Maybe they were just asking for his help. It wasn’t an uncommon thought of his, since it was five children who had disappeared.

Other times he considered the possibility that these nightmares hadn’t been meant for him. They just said some… odd things on occasion. One of them called him ‘Christopher’ once, and they referred to him as if he were a child. That didn’t make sense not only because he was a fucking adult, but also because he wasn’t born male and certainly wasn’t given the name ‘Christopher’.

It was just a strange situation altogether, but he tried not to think about it too much. It didn’t matter that they weren’t made for him, all that mattered was that they were _his_ demons now, not this Christopher’s.

Though it never stopped him from being curious. He spent most nights like this researching and while he hadn’t found anything on a Christopher, he did find something about a Fredbear’s Family Diner. One of its kind, basically the starter version of the Freddy’s chain.

Tonight was the night he was going to delve deeper. He finished his dinner, giving Cheesy an affectionate scritch behind the ear and heading to his mostly disused bedroom. He rarely ever slept in here, mainly using it as storage and an office of sorts. 

He fell back into the chair in front of his desk, pausing to pop his back and knuckles, before opening up his laptop and getting to work.

The tab his computer had been left on was a sort of… fansite for the ‘lore’ behind the Freddy’s chain. He never really liked the site (they always described Bonnie as blue, as well as other discrepancies) but it had the quickest access to information on Fredbear’s Diner.

What he really needed from here was the newspaper clipping from 1983 with the big headline “Child Has Frontal Lobe Bitten Off By Animatronic- Does This Spell The End Of Frebear’s Family Diner?”. It’s only a partial clipping, never going far enough down to show the name of the child, but it does have a picture of the child and his family and the name of his father.

William Afton, co-owner of the diner and the performer sometimes inside of the Spring Bonnie animatronic, who was apparently so devastated after the incident that he quit and divorced his wife, taking their two other children with him.

It was a little easier to find stuff on Afton than his child, especially because he was apparently the one to start the original Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

“What kind of man watches an animatronic almost kill his son and decides to open an animatronic based restaurant chain?” Cane muttered, once finding a picture of Afton standing next to his new animatronics. “Fucking freak.”

Not that he could blame him too much. Cane had always been fascinated by animatronics, even after that terrible day. He’d never start a chain restaurant with them, but he could help build them just fine.

After a few more hours of searching, nothing more was yielded other than a killer headache. He sighed as he shut the laptop once again, getting up to grab some aspirin and maybe head out for a short walk. Depended on how quickly the headache went away, if at all.

Aspirin in hand, he was about to pop it into his mouth when caught sight of something… blue peeking out of his bedroom doorway.

No. That couldn’t be… was it? Cane stood there and stared at the monstrous bunny that stared right back at him, it’s head tilted ever so slightly.

He’d never seen one of them in the real world before, only in his nightmares. He figured he had to be dreaming so he blinked a few times, even pinching himself in the arm. The thing was still there.

It was only when Cheesy looked at the bunny that he realized it was really there, and he was awake. Could cats see hallucinations? He hoped so. At least that thing wasn’t moving.

“Okay, well, you stay there, I’m gonna uh… I’m gonna go for a walk,” he suddenly announced, surprised that he’d spoken to it. It seemed surprised too, but he didn’t fully process that as he popped the aspirin into his mouth, chugging down a gulp of water with it.

He then threw it a peace sign, turned on his heel, and practically stormed out the front door, trusting that it wasn’t real and that Cheesy would be fine. Even if it was real, his bastard kitty could open doors well enough.

It was only when he was about a mile away from his house when the reality of the situation hit him. “What the fuck,” he muttered as he came to a hard stop. “ _What the fuck_ ,” he stated much louder, gaining the attention of the couple taking their dog on a late night walk.

What the fuck indeed my good dude.


	3. Chapter 3

It took a good few hours of wandering (and almost having the cops called on him) for Canetheus to finally work up the courage to return home. Thankfully, his headache was gone, and he was hoping that it had been the cause of the hallucination.

With a deep breath to further strengthen his resolve, he turned on his heel and headed back home, where his lovely cat and maybe an awful monster were waiting for him.

Much to his relief, he was only greeted by Cheesy when he opened the front door, letting out a sigh when she headbutted his shin. “I  _ knew _ it wasn’t real, he muttered, leaning down to pick her up.

He knocked the door shut with his heel, setting Cheesy down on the couch before going back to lock it. “Should have turned the lights off,” he said to himself, “Damn electricity bill’s gonna skyrocket.” Though, would he have really left his best friend all alone in the dark with a robotic monster?

After he was sure the front door was secured, he went around the house to completely make sure that the thing was gone, and relaxed once he realized it was nowhere to be found.

With that taken care of, he could finally take the shower he’d been thinking about the entire time he was out. Mostly to distract him, but also because his body had had the same nightmare fear response those monsters gave him so he had ended up pretty sweaty.

The blast of warm water against his skin drew a satisfied sigh from his lips as he just stood there in the water for a little bit, letting it flow over his skin.

Canetheus really didn’t like being naked, because it made him feel exposed, but he was the most comfortable with himself when he was in the shower. The water was soothing, and he could feel his top surgery scars without it seeming weird. He was quite proud of them, after all, but mainly in private.

But he had to force himself to snap out of own reverie when he remembered that the water could very easily run cold on him. So he quickly washed his hair, his body soon following. He stood in there for about a minute when he was done, but hopped out soon enough.

“Yes, yes, I hear you,” he said to the door, when he noticed Cheesy screaming outside of it. She didn’t much enjoy doors being closed on her, and likely thought he needed help when he was in the shower or bath, but he really wasn’t a fan of being watched by her. “I know you’re soooo traumatized by being left out.”

His drama queen meowed in reply, coaxing a chuckle out of him before he went to work brushing his teeth and getting ready for work.

Canetheus absolutely  _ adored _ his job as a mechanic for the upcoming animatronic diner, Salem’s Fantasy Diner. The new mascots looked nothing like the four from Freddy’s, so they didn’t activate that same fear in him. Not to mention that he saw their insides every day and there were no bodies hidden in their chests.

It was a fantastic job, and he loved it, but he wished that his boss would let him switch to the nightshift. Scrap Arrowood was a great guy, if not a little intimidating, but he absolutely refused to allow Cane to work as the nightguard. He always said something about needing to keep him as a mechanic, since two were better than one.

But Cane still tried every day, so he was obviously going to try today as well.

“Hey boss, I’m gonna be running a little late today,” he spoke into his phone, using the speech-to-text as he pulled on his pants. “I had a bit of a rough night. Nothing too bad, just kept me out of the house for a while.” He quickly hit send, before returning his focus to the task at hand.

Once he was dressed, he exited the bathroom to love on Cheesy a little and give her some breakfast. The sun was basically up by now, since he usually left around 6 or 7 am. He preferred to get there early so he could get a headstart, but he was still rattled from last night.

‘Heading out now,’ he texted Scrap once again before slipping his phone into his pocket to ensure he had everything else he needed. Keys? Check. Wallet? Check. Coffee? Check, thankfully.

Once everything was where it needed to be, he leaned down to kiss Cheesy goodbye and headed out for the day.

The great thing about living in a small town was that the only vehicle Cane needed was his bike, at most. But since his therapist  _ and _ his job were within walking distance, that’s exactly what he did- walk.

Besides, he liked the sights he got to take in on his walks. And there was always someone who’d say hi to him as he went through his usual path. Again, small town. A lot of people knew him by name.

It only took about fifteen minutes for him to arrive at the Diner. He wasn’t here when the building itself was constructed, but apparently the owners (Scrap and his brother Azriel) decided it would be easier to get the building up before worrying about the animatronics.

Cane went for his keys, only for the door to be pushed open, revealing none other than Scrap himself. Think about the devil and he apparently shall appear. 

Scrap was one of those hauntingly beautiful kind of people. His dark brown hair came down to his mid back, and even though it was usually pulled back in a messy bun it was currently allowed to hang freely. His eyes were the most piercing shade of crystal blue Cane had ever seen, and his tanned skin was glittered with freckles.

And  _ gods _ was he tall. About 6’5, if Cane had remembered correctly. “You said you’d be late,” Scrap said as he sidestepped to allow him to enter the building. “ _ This _ is not late, Mr. Freeman.”

“It’s not?” Cane glanced down at his phone, only to find that he was, indeed, not late. Sure it was still not as early as he usually was, but it was still early. “Sorry Mr. Arrowood, I thought I would take longer.”

He noticed a small smile tug at the corner of Scrap’s mouth at the apology, almost ruining the man’s stoic persona. Well. Not a persona. Scrap was just like that.

“Well, don’t waste anymore time just to make up for it Freeman, get to work,” he said once the door was closed, turning back only to find Canetheus already heading off to the room that held his favourite animatronic.

Scrap gave a huff of a laugh at Cane’s retreating form before heading to his own work area.

After all, he knew better than to interrupt Canetheus and his Spade.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two normal length chapters in one day? who AM i?

Spade was the biggest of the four animatronics housed in the Diner.

He was a bat with striking grey eyes and one of the longer snouts. Like the other three, he wasn’t even close to anatomically correct. His wings were short and pointed, but attached to his arms for easier mobility. 

The outer metal that made up his exoskeleton was a shiny midnight black with purple undertones, and the insides of his ears were a dark shade of the grey that coloured his eyes. He wasn't sure when Scrap decided to change his eye colour from the brilliant red they used to be, but he didn’t mind. The only thing that bothered him is how similar they were to the teenager he remembered. 

He didn’t pay the eyes too much attention, instead popping open Spade’s chest to get to work. At this point, the animatronics only needed some slight tweaking, and one hundred percent insurance that their waterproofing would work.

Not that Cane himself would be testing that, Scrap assured him that all he needed to do was secure it as much as possible and leave the testing up to Azriel.

“Howdy!” Speak of the devil once again. Cane turned to greet Azriel with a small smile, the bright grin on the other’s face near blinding.

Azriel was Scrap’s twin, and you could tell they were identical. They had the same facial shape, same crystal blue eyes, and the same tanned skin. The main difference really was Azriel’s short, and bright white, hair. He wore it in an undercut that never seemed to grow out, and managed to keep his hair so perfectly dyed that his roots never showed.

He also smiled a lot more than his brother, the grin practically never dropping from his face. “Testing’s scheduled for today, so uh, just finish up here and head over to Sage.”

Cane gave the co-owner a short nod, turning back to Spade to finish the wiring he had been working on before the cheerful male had dropped in. “Alright,” he said after a few minutes, stepping back and brushing his hands off. He closed up the animatronic before turning back to Azriel.

“Good work Cane! I knew it was a good idea to hire you,” Az told him, giving him a light clap on the shoulder before sending him off to Sage.

Sage was the exact opposite of Spade. The seven foot animatronic was a barn owl, and honestly one of the absolute best as far as looks went. Xir exoskeleton was just barely cream, leaning more toward an off-white. Xir wings were also on xir arms, like Spade’s, but more detailed. Sure the feathers were just engraved on, but they were still beautiful.

As far as Cane knew, both Sage and Spade were programmed to perform for adults, rather than children. According to Scrap, the Diner was supposed to be a place that catered to both age groups, so parents could drop their kids off in one half of the building and still be close by while getting some entertainment as well.

It meant that Spade and Sage ended up getting programmed with very different songs than Sequin and Salem, the two children’s performers. Cane had been meaning to ask Oliver, the programmer and adopted sibling of the Arrowoods, what songs they'd used, but they were rarely ever on site. 

Not that it really mattered, since Cane was there for the mechanical focus rather than the programming.

“I can’t wait to see all of you on stage,” he admitted to the owl with a sigh, sitting on the edge of the platform xey were standing on. “We’ve been working for months now and it’s not like they can put off opening forever.”

Obviously, the animatronic didn’t reply, but Cane thought he saw xir brown eyes turn towards him. After a moment of staring, he blamed it on the sleep deprivation.

“I dunno. Maybe I’m just getting impatient. I’ve never been good at the waiting game, and there’s really not much more I can do. Spade is as perfect as I can get him, and I know Sequin and Salem are ready for the stage.”

He looked up at his only company for the moment, a small smile gracing his lips. “I’m sure you’re ready too. You’re Scrap’s favourite, after all, and I know he never leaves a job half done. Hell, you’re probably the most perfect one here.”

Silence reigned for a moment after that, before Azriel’s voice broke the silence. “Talking to the animatronics now, are we?” he teased, chuckling at the side eye Cane gave him. “Yeah, yeah, I know I do it too. Anyway, your boy’s working perfectly. Not even a single spark.”

Cane let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, a relieved smile making its way onto his face. “Was there ever any doubt?”

Azriel’s laugh was more of a bark this time, but it was still better than nothing. “No there was not. Now move along freeloader, there’s plenty more for you to do around the diner.” That was basically code for ‘Spade may be done, but it wouldn’t hurt to check’.

The rest of the day moved along quickly, mostly because Cane checked as much as he could one Spade and spent the rest of his shift cleaning up the mess the three usually left. Scrap would never admit to it, but he knew the man definitely appreciated it (it certainly showed with the “overtime” bonus he got).

“Come on, you’re still refusing to change your mind? It’s just a night shift.” Convincing Scrap that he should be given the nightguard job was still the challenge Cane remembered it to be, even when he offered to work the day _and_ the night.

Scrap simply sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. “Mr. Freeman, I know you have an odd sleep schedule but I am _trying_ to promote the growth of a better one. And you know I need you at full energy when working on the animatronics.”

“The animatronics are done!” Cane countered, throwing his hands up in frustration. “There’s nothing left to be done! You’re acting like those things aren’t already perfect!”

“They _aren’t_ ,” Scrap replied, quirking an eyebrow at the implication that there wasn’t any more work to be done. “Canetheus, you aren’t getting the night shift. Please stop asking. You are a mechanic, and that is what you’ll stay.”

With that, Scrap turned away from him and got back to work. Cane stood there, shocked and annoyed at the same time, before letting out a huff and finally heading home. 

“Does he think I can’t handle it?? It’s just a damn night shift!” he ranted as he fed Cheesy her dinner, collapsing into one of the chairs at the kitchen island when he was done. “It’s not like it’s fucking _dangerous_. No one’s breaking into a fucking diner with a GUN. This is bullshit.”

Finally, he let out a sigh and gave up, resting his forehead on the cool surface of the island. At least he didn’t have to worry about falling asleep with the good hours he’d gotten the day before.

“Maybe he just doesn’t trust me,” he decided, hoping it would make himself feel better about it. It kinda worked, but he was still mostly pissed.

“ **Would** **_you_ ** **trust yourself?** ” The sound of a deep, and near demonic voice behind him made Cane sit up instantly, spinning around quickly to see who was in his home, only to find nothing.

He opened his mouth to say something about it being a hallucination, probably, only to catch sight of that damned bunny out of the corner of his eye. It was sitting on his couch now, flicking through the channels on the TV. 

It seemed to be waiting for him to look at it head on before speaking again, which took a minute but eventually happened. “ **Cause I wouldn’t. Is there anything good running these days?** ”

Cane stared at it wide eyed. There was silence for a moment until it opened it’s maw to speak again, only to be cut off by a scream.

The last thing Cane heard it say was “ **Rude** ,” before the world went dark.

_What the fuck._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah, the ship finally interacts properly. also for anyone wondering i am Not done with Salem and the gang but they won't explicitly show up for like. a chapter or two

Cane didn’t remember laying down. Or falling asleep. Or having the massive fucking headache he had now.

Damn. So much of yesterday gone. He rolled over in the bed (when did he get to the bed?) to grab his phone off of the unused nightstand. 6pm glared up at him, and that alone was enough to send him flying off the bed, headache be damned.

Until, that is, he noticed the text on the screen. Quickly tapping it and inputting his password, he was surprised to find a whole conversation between him and Scrap that he never remembered going through. Apparently he had told his boss that he wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be coming in. Scrap was fine with it, since he’d never used a sick day, and the most recent text was to remind him that a normal sleep schedule would do him some good.

“What the fuck happened…?” he muttered, running a hand over his hair as Cheesy came darting into the room, screaming to be fed. “Okay, feeding you I can handle.”

He allowed her to lead him to her food absentmindedly, placing more of his focus on what the hell happened the day before. His headache still wasn’t going away, but nothing was misplaced, moved, or taken so at least no one broke in. 

A sigh escaped his lips as he realized that living alone was doing him more harm than good. If he had a roommate, he could have figured out what happened. “Should have taken Cass up on her offer…”

Cheesy screamed again, reminding him once more that he still had not fed her. He was apparently more out of it than he originally thought, so he went ahead and gave her what she wanted before heading to the living room and collapsing on the couch.

He should have grabbed some aspirin while he was in the kitchen, especially since he only now noticed the bump on his head. Had he passed out standing up? It was the most likely answer, since it wasn’t exactly uncommon, but he’d gotten plenty of sleep the day before that so that really shouldn’t have happened.

It could just be that his body was finally fighting back. Scrap was right, better sleep would benefit him a lot more than the bullshit he was currently working with.

“ **It’s really funny to watch you think** ,” an all too familiar voice suddenly spoke up next to him, causing him to flinch away from the bunny. “ **Your face gets all scrunched up like you have to work really hard for it, it’s hilarious.** ”

Hm. So the demon has a sense of humour. “At least I can think at all,” Canetheus shot back, still out of it enough to not realize that 1) he was acknowledging the thing and 2) he’d just talked back to a fucking nightmare.

It didn’t seem too bothered judging from the bark of a laugh it replied with. “ **You’re a lot more entertaining than that kid you know. He would just cry and fight us but you changed your** **_entire schedule_ ** **to keep us away. I’d almost say you were obsessed.** ” Was it… grinning? It was hard to tell with the whole animatronic problem it had.

“ **I’ve seen obsession though. You’re obsessed with that research project of yours, but definitely not with us.** ” It only just now clicked for Cane that it had been saying “us”. He didn’t like it implying he would see it’s friends in the waking world too.

“Well, you can tell your pals to fuck off, because I’m really not up for my house becoming a monster nest,” he replied, briefly bothered with how quickly he started talking to it but mostly annoyed with idea that he’d have to deal with  _ all _ of them.

The bunny gave that barking laugh again instead of reply, even slapping a clawed hand down on its mangled knee. “ **Oh, you’re funny. It’s not your** **_house_ ** **we’re attached to, you poor, tiny human. It’s** **_you_ ** **.** ”

Well. That was unsettling. For a moment Canetheus just stared at it in its horrible magenta eyes (actually, its eyes were actually kinda pretty, from an aesthetic standpoint) before letting out a strangled, and near hysterical laugh.

It seemed confused by that, which only made him laugh again. “ _ Wow _ , you really  _ do _ think I’m stupid! I know you’re attached to me you dumbfuck, I just wanna know  _ why _ .”

Apparently, the nightmarish version of Bonnie really wasn’t expecting that, because it leaned back and scratched its chin in an almost comical way. “ **Quite frankly, we don’t know. One day we were with that crying brat and the next we were following you. You’d just moved in, I think, and we were just standing outside your door.** ”

That really wasn’t much of an explanation. “You mean, you’ve been here since day one? I wasn’t even seeing you guys in my nightmares my first few weeks here. It was only after I got the job at the diner that you started showing up.” He’d been having the nightmares he was used to before that, the ones that he could handle. Sure they were grotesque and lingered for hours after waking, but they were tolerable.

The nightmare simply shrugged, not sure what to tell him. “ **We don’t choose where we go, and we had to build up energy before revealing ourselves. Being the ghost of something that never lived is quite the process.** ”

It was a relief to know that he wasn’t actually being haunted by the five original kids that died at least, but not very comforting to know that the original four had been sentient in their own way and apparently angry enough to become the nightmares that they now were.

It must have been the fire. Cane had read about it plenty of times with how obsessed the forums and fan sites were with it (that one, and the other two that had also taken down Fazbear Entertainment buildings). It would certainly explain why they all looked the way they did. Fire simply does that to animatronics.

“So… the original four had their own sentience?” That got a nod. “Okay. What about the big yellow one? The one that looks like Fredbear?”

It had to think on that one for a moment, as if it was trying to remember who he was talking about despite the thing being rather hard to forget. “ **Oh! Yeah, no, that’s literally Fredbear. Like… the original animatronic. He had sentience long before that kid ever latched onto him. But** **_boy_ ** **was that girl angry. She changed him forever.** ”

So, the girl that attached herself to Fredbear (Cassidy, if the newspaper clippings were right) was angry enough that her rage became his rage. Because  _ that’s _ what Cane needed right now.

He didn’t want to think about that right now, that was one thousand percent something that future Cane who had energy and seven aspirins could deal with. So he asked something else.

“What do I call you?” That got its attention again. It kinda tilted its head at him, seemingly thinking the question over.

“ **Why not just Bonnie?** ”

“Why would I call you Bonnie?”

“ **Technically it’s my name.** ”

“I’m not calling you fucking Bonnie.”

It huffed at his refusal, crossing its arms and probably pouting like a child. “ **Fine. What do you wanna call me then?** ” Dude. This is why he asked YOU.

Cane groaned, leaning back into the couch now that it was confirmed he would have to use his own braincells for this. He took a minute to think of a few combinations of ‘nightmare’ and ‘Bonnie’ before finally coming up with something.

“What about NightBon?” he asked, turning his gaze back to his monstrous companion. It thought the name over, humming quietly as if he was tasting wine. “Dude. It’s not fucking rocket science, do you like the name or not?”

It laughed at his impatience, but quit the act anyway. “ **It’s really bad** ,” it said, but cut off whatever Cane’s reply was going to be, “ **but works nonetheless. Better than you calling me something rude.** ”

It was tempting.

“NightBon it is,” Cane confirmed with a stern nod, before the reality of the situation fully hit him.

He’d just given a name to his nightmare. His nightmare was fucking real. He was sitting here, talking to the thing that had haunted him for two damn years now.

What did he just get himself into?


	6. Chapter 6

It was hard to go into work the next morning.

Knowing that his nightmares were real, or as real as animatronic ghosts could be, was so much worse than seeing them in his dreams.

And the worst part was that NightBon was ecstatic to have finally been acknowledged. So much so, apparently, that it decided it was going to start going to work with Cane, which meant he was going to have a fucking monster that only he could see hovering over his shoulder all day.

He would have said something about it not possibly getting worse, but he knew better.

“Can you be quiet?” Cane hissed at his monster, before quickly glancing around to make sure no one heard. For the past twenty minutes NightBon had been going on and on about the kid they were last attached to (at least he knew he was right on the Christopher Afton trail) and it had been more than a little distracting.

He heard NightBon give a huff of annoyance, right before ignoring him and continuing on anyway. It was going to be a long day.

“You got better quick.” Canetheus perked up at the sound of Scrap’s voice, immediately turning to face him. He was thankful that NightBon chose that moment to get distracted by Spade and therefore move out of his way.

“Uh, I just needed some sleep,” Cane replied with a small shrug, gently putting down the tool in his hand. “A normal sleep schedule is still a bit of a stretch but I feel a lot better now.”

Scrap just looked at him for a moment, one of his eyebrows quirked in a way that showed he didn’t totally believe him. Thankfully though, he didn’t push it, instead just walking further into the room. “We’re finally opening next Friday,” he announced, almost smiling when he caught the grin now on Cane’s face.

“Really!?” he blurted out, standing up quickly and actually catching NightBon’s attention. He almost didn’t hear Scrap’s quiet chuckle, but the sound just made him more excited. “God, my baby sister’s been so excited to come, I can’t wait to tell her!”

“You have a sister?” Scrap suddenly asked, turning back to Canetheus, who suddenly seemed very shy under the scrutiny.

He never talked about his sister, preferring to keep her existence private. She didn’t live in the same town as him, instead living in the city a few miles away, so they mostly talked over video calls. His insistence on her privacy came from that overprotective brother instinct, and because he’d seen enough bad to know that he could never let it happen to her.

“Uh, yes sir, I do. She lives up in the city and she’s heard enough about this place from me that she asks every day when it’s opening.”

Much to his surprise, Scrap actually laughed at that. It was soft, and short, but shocking nonetheless. “How wonderful,” he replied with a small smile, his face suddenly looking much softer than it ever had. “Little siblings are just the best, aren’t they? Tell her she can be our first visitor if she shows up soon enough.”

With that, Scrap decided his little inspection was done and headed out of the little room that was made for Spade, Cane simply watching him go.

“ **You have a sister?** ” NightBon suddenly asked, making Canetheus flinch away from it before he calmed down with a groan. “ **Well?** ”

“Yes I have a sister, you literally just heard that,” Cane replied with a roll of his eyes, turning back to his project. With Spade done, all he had left to work on was the tweaking of the bat’s guitar. The guitar was based off of the original Bonnie’s when it came to shape, but the colours were the same shades of grey that coloured Spade’s eyes.

Due to Spade being a performer for adults, Scrap had decided that more muted colours would be easier for (usually tired) parents to enjoy. And if they preferred more colour, Sage’s room was for them.

“ **Yeah, but I feel like I should have known before now** ,” NightBon whined, crossing its arms to show how  _ emotionally wounded _ it was about being left out like this.

Canetheus scoffed, rolling his eyes again. “We’re  _ not _ friends. I don’t have to tell you  _ shit _ about my life.”

NightBon winced at that one, placing a hand over its non-existent heart. “ **You wound me, Canetheus. I thought that after all these years of us psychologically torturing you that you would consider me a good friend.** ”

It was almost like this asshole was trying to make him laugh, because that statement alone was fucking hilarious.

“Yeah, you keep thinking that,  _ I’m _ gonna actually do something productive,” he replied, ending the conversation there in order to focus on his work. After all, this guitar wasn’t going to tweak itself.

Thankfully, NightBon stayed mostly undisruptive and quiet for the rest of the day, outside of the occasional one-sided conversation with the inanimate Spade (the animatronic hadn't even been turned on yet).

However, by the time Cane was done cleaning up, he could tell NightBon was just itching to leave. He couldn’t understand why the monster was so desperate to get back to the house, having spent so much of its time in there, but he really couldn’t be bothered to ask.

The walk home was not quiet, despite his silent hopes that it would be. No, NightBon spent the entire fifteen to twenty minutes of it pointing out literally everything in sight, including things Cane almost accidentally ran into because of the lack of sleep.

“Do you ever shut up!?” Cane finally snapped once they were inside his house, actually succeeding in making NightBon fall silent in shock. “I’ve never even heard dogs yap as much as you!” he added, before letting out a frustrated groan.

“Don’t fucking say anything,” he growled when it opened its mouth again, flinging his bag onto the couch before storming off to his bedroom.

NightBon just stood there, watching Cane’s retreating form with a slightly tilted head. It definitely wasn’t used to being snapped at like that from anyone but Freddy, but it honestly wasn’t very bothered by it. It knew Cane was something of a pushover when it came to his nightmares, so it was sure that this was a very temporary thing.

It was going to wish it had been right.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter follows more of NightBon's perspective and its problem causing ejwfhebhjw

For the next three days, Cane managed to completely ignore the horrifying, and apparently clingy, bunny that followed him around.

It would whine, complain, and even threaten him, but he wouldn’t budge. He never even slightly acknowledged it- didn’t even give a snarky “did you hear something?” to his cat.

NightBon was, for all intents and purposes, all alone.

It was the only one of the nightmares that had gained enough energy to show up during the day and in real life like this, and also the only one that cared enough to. And what good it was doing it! It hadn’t had anyone to talk for three days!! 

Maybe it would have been tolerable if Cane was sleeping during the night and having nightmares, but he _wasn’t_. He was successfully sleeping during the day, probably because he wasn’t as scared of them anymore now that he knew one of them was a big fucking baby.

It couldn’t even get the cat to acknowledge it. She would just run off and find Cane whenever it tried to mess with her.

It was driving it near _insane_ . So obviously that meant it was time to poke the bear. Or, rather, the _bat_.

NightBon had noticed something that apparently Cane _hadn’t_ the first time he ever saw Spade. 

He knew those eyes.

Sure, this new nightmarish version of Bonnie had never actually been alive, or knew anyone that Bonnie himself knew, but he had the bunny’s memory. _And he knew those eyes_.

Oleander King had been the night guard at one of the original Freddy’s, the one that came after the Toys were dismantled. He sometimes worked the dayshift as well, but that wasn’t important. What was important was that his eyes were light grey, like clouds that were getting ready to storm. And those were Spade’s eyes now.

Not to mention the fact that Oleander had always been able to see ghosts, and Spade’s eyes had stayed locked on NightBon the entire time it had been there.

They could clean the insides of those animatronics as much as they wanted, they could even burn the bodies that had been housed inside of them. But those spirits would linger for the rest of eternity.

It almost felt bad for the fact that it was about to stir one hell of a hornet’s nest, but it decided that regaining Cane’s attention, and most importantly _fear_ , was _so_ worth it.

It could tell that Cane was suspicious when it was silent during their walk to the Diner, mostly from the way he was occasionally side eyeing it.

Though, he did seem to enjoy the quiet and brushed it off with relative ease. What a mistake that was.

It briefly noticed the surprise on its human’s face when it suddenly disappeared from sight and reveled in it before remembering that it was on a mission, and heading straight for Spade’s room. It took a few tries, but NightBon managed to get the door shut and locked.

It then turned to the animatronic bat, a wicked grin spreading across it’s mangled face. “ **Oleander~** ” it spoke in a sing-song voice, immediately catching the attention of its target, “ **don’t you think you’ve hidden long enough?** ”

“That’s not my name anymore,” the bat replied, his voice only slightly reminiscent of what it used to be. The part of NightBon that still housed the original Bonnie gave a twinge of disappointment, but that didn’t matter.

“ **Sorry then Spadey** ,” he growled at the nickname, which just made its grin grow wider, “ **I just have a teensy little favour to ask of you. Very tiny, I assure you**.” It pinched its claws together to help its point, choosing to ignore Spade rolling his eyes.

It went to speak again, only to be cut off by Spade ‘sighing’ loudly. “You… disgusting creature, why on earth would I do _anything_ for you? There’s nothing you can give me in return that I can’t get for myself.”

Unfortunately, he had a point. It’s not like it could bring him back to life, not that he would want that anyway (he was simply too attached to the other three animatronics).

“ **It’ll be fun** ,” NightBon offered, with a slight shrug. “ **And I guess your little friends could help too**.” 

He may pretend otherwise, but Spade was still very much Oleander. Those closest to him meant the world to him, and he would do anything for or with them. They were his weak spot and it looked like that weak spot was working.

“... What is it you want?”

“ **So you’ll do it?** ”

“Only if the others agree.”

“ **Good enough**.”

Canetheus was _so_ going to regret ignoring it.


End file.
